Butter Bean Mash - My Gorgeous Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Do butter beans need to be soaked before cooking? ›

They're about as easy to cook as any other bean. Sort, rinse, soak (or not), and cook. Butter beans in the south are made so many ways and every family has its own version.

Compared to cannellini beans, standard butter beans are quite large; the latter measures up to an inch and a half while cannellini beans typically grow no longer than ½ an inch. Moreover, in Italy and some parts of the United States, cannellini beans are also referred to as white kidney beans.

Slow-simmering with only enough water to keep the beans covered creates a thick “sauce.” If you add too much water it will be thin and not have the right consistency. It means checking them about every 20 minutes and adding a little water if needed. That does take more effort however the end result is worth it.

While they're all the same bean botanically, butter beans have different names depending on the region. In the South and in the United Kingdom, they're typically referred to as butter beans. Elsewhere in the U.S., they're known as lima beans (named for Lima, Peru, the bean's point of origin).

If you don't have time to presoak, don't sweat it– your beans will still be tender and delicious. However, there is one exception: if you're starting with old beans that have suffered moisture loss (Primary Beans defines as beans older than 2 years from harvest), a presoak may help you achieve evenly cooked beans.

Unless the recipe tells you to keep the canned beans in their liquid, you should drain your can and give the beans a good rinse before using. This will improve the flavor and texture of your finished dish. Open your cans of beans using a can opener. There may be sharp edges from opening the can.

Lima Beans vs. Butter Beans. Well, rest assured; the two are actually one in the same. There's no difference between lima beans and butter beans, though sometimes they're sold at different stages of maturity.

Beans tend to be healthier than pasta since they contain more nutrients than white pasta alone. Similar to chickpeas and lentils, beans are excellent sources of fiber and plant-based protein. Easily incorporated into various dishes, beans have several health benefits including promoting a healthy gut and heart.

Butter Beans are a fantastically healthy ingredient – they're high in protein and fibre, and they're an excellent source of carbohydrates. Low in fat and calories but high in folate, starch and iron, they're one of the best store cupboard ingredients there is.

Butter beans, or lima beans, are not particularly heat tolerant. Temperatures above 86º F, especially when the relative humidity is low, may cause bloom and pod drop. Any other type of stress will also cause the plant to drop its leaves and pods. Pole type beans are less susceptible to this problem.

Can you eat butter beans straight from the tin? ›

From the tin – not a cooking method, but butter beans and be enjoyed straight from the can.

Add stock or water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until sauce becomes creamy and is reduced by about about half, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Smash additional beans and add a few more tablespoons of water, if needed, to reach desired consistency and stir again to combined.

What Do Butter Beans and/or Lima Beans Taste Like? These small and slightly curved members of the bean family have a creamy and buttery flavor (which could contribute to that “butter” name). They've also been described as mild and velvety in taste.

A lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), also commonly known as butter bean, sieva bean, double bean or Madagascar bean, is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans.

These slightly curved legumes are buttery in flavor and have a creamy texture when cooked, which may account for the "butter" nickname (that, and the beige color they take on when mature). And if you come across butter peas, Madagascar beans, or gigante beans, you're also getting lima beans.

You can always throw dried beans into water, bring it to a boil, and then simmer until done, It is exactly the same as cooking beans after soaking, except that it will take longer. Dried beans will take ~45 - 90 minutes to cook depending mainly on how old (and hence dry) they are, vs 20 - 45 minutes for soaked beans.

Soaking. Soaking your beans helps them cook faster and more evenly, and it can also make them easier to digest. If you add salt to the soaking water (in other words, make a brine), your beans will cook even faster; the salt helps break down their skins.

They come in a glass jar, ready to be used in any recipe. They are perfect for busy weeknight meals, meal prepping or simply eaten straight from the jar. Mash them up, stew them up, crunch them up - they're packed full of natural protein so great for vegetarians and meat reducers.

To prepare your batch of butter beans

I find that cooking them from dry (ie without pre-soaking) helps prevent them from going soggy, so just tip them into the pot, add plenty of water to cover, a teaspoon of salt and cook until tender. This should take between six and eight hours.